Israeli PM leaves Likud party

The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon (l), meets the country's president, Moshe Katsav, to ask for a dissolution of parliament in preparation for early elections. Photograph: Avi Ohayon/EPA

The Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said today that his departure from Likud in order to form a new centrist party came because he did not want to waste time with "political in-fighting".

At a news conference, he said that Likud - the party he helped found in 1973 - no longer gave the Israeli people hope and he did not want to miss the "historic opportunity" created by this summer's pullout from Gaza.

"The Likud in its present configuration cannot lead the nation to its goals," he said.

In his first public comments since resigning from Likud, Mr Sharon ruled out unilateral pullbacks in the West Bank on the scale of the Gaza withdrawal.

He added, however, that as part of a final peace deal with the Palestinians it was likely more West Bank settlements will have to be dismantled - a stance which is anathema to Likud hardliners.

Mr Sharon said that he remained committed to the internationally backed peace plan known as the road map, which calls for a negotiated peace deal that includes the establishment of a Palestinian state.

"There is no additional disengagement plan," he said. "There is the road map."

The Gaza pullout was bitterly opposed by hardliners in Likud and Mr Sharon decided late yesterday to leave the party and establish a new party, reported to be called Ahrayut Leumit or National Responsibility.

Mr Sharon said today that life in Likud, which has dominated Israeli politics since the mid 1970s, had become "insufferable".

The redrawing of Israel's political map comes after the Labour party quit Mr Sharon's Likud-led coalition, forcing early elections.

Mr Sharon said that it would have been easier for him to stay in Likud and his decision to leave was fraught with risk. He described his new party as "liberal" and said it would give Israel new hope for peace. He did not announce the names of any other Likud rebels willing to sign up to his new party, but he met earlier today with ten of his former party colleagues who are expected to be the core of the new party.

The defence minister, Shaul Mofaz considered a key electoral asset - announced he was staying in Likud, and would run for party leader.

The acting Likud chairman, Tzahi Hanegbi, said the party would elect a new leader as quickly as possible. The top contender is former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the Gaza pullout and old political opponent of Mr Sharon.

There has been speculation that Shimon Peres, who lost leadership of the Labour party earlier this month, might join Mr Sharon's new party, but the prime minister evaded questions on the matter during the press conference.

It appeared increasingly likely the election will be held in March, or eight months ahead of schedule, though there was some wrangling over how the date will be set.

Earlier today, Mr Sharon asked Israel's president, Moshe Katsav, to dissolve parliament. If the request is approved, an election must be held within 90 days. The president has said he would make a quick decision.

Should the president leave the Knesset to decide on its own dissolution, factions within parliament could put off the election for months. In a preliminary vote today, the Knesset approved dissolution by 84 votes to eight with 10 abstentions, but three more votes are required.

Mr Sharon's decision last night to leave Likud set the stage for a turbulent election campaign which would pit a smaller, more hawkish Likud against Mr Sharon and Labour's new leader, Amir Peretz, a former union boss.

Opposition politicians described the move as a breakthrough for the possibility of peace with the Palestinians.

Yossi Beilin, the leader of the left-wing Meretz-Yahad party, told Israel Radio that the move was "a big victory for supporters of sharing the land".

"This is a real opportunity for a coalition headed by the peace camp, including former Likud members who understood that, for 38 years, they have deceived the nation and themselves," he said.

The Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat compared the events to the eruption of a volcano.

"I've never seen anything of this significance," he said. "I hope that when the dust settles, we will have a partner in Israel to go to the end game, towards the end of conflict, towards a final agreement."